60s: I have a store

Chapter 506 Road Completion
Zhou Yimin stood in the workshop of the steel plant, looking at the equipment that were roaring and running. The workers were operating them skillfully and the production work was proceeding in an orderly manner.

He knew that the production was now on track and he no longer needed to keep a close eye on it.

Looking back on this period of time, I have been busy like a top in order to complete the special steel production task. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems that I have to go back and hand over the vegetable money from Shangshui Village to Village Chief Wang. Besides, the village is currently repairing the road and I don’t know how the progress is.

Zhou Yimin rode the motorcycle that was very eye-catching in the village, along the winding country road, speeding towards Zhoujiazhuang.

Along the way, the breeze caressed his face, the fields on both sides rippled with green waves in the breeze, and occasionally a few clear bird calls could be heard.

The first thing he did was to go to Shangshui Village, find the village chief Wang, and hand the money to Zhou Yimin.

Village chief Wang originally wanted to persuade Zhou Yimin to stay for dinner, but Zhou Yimin refused.

He then said goodbye to Village Chief Wang and drove towards Zhoujiazhuang. When he stepped into the village, a familiar scene came into view, but the air was filled with the smell of fresh cement.

He walked straight towards his home, and before he reached the door, he heard a series of knocking sounds.

When I walked into the yard, I saw Master Li concentrating on painting a set of furniture with anti-corrosion paint.

The furniture was made of precious dark wood, and under the sunlight, it exuded an ancient and mysterious luster.

Master Li heard the footsteps, raised his head, and showed an honest smile on his face: "Boss, you are finally back. Take a quick look at these furnitures. How are they made? Do you like them?"

In order to create this set of furniture, Master Li used all his skills and brought his craftsmanship accumulated over the years to full play.

He knew in his heart that it was a beautiful job, but if he did it again, he might not be able to reach the same level.

Zhou Yimin walked around the furniture and looked at it carefully, his eyes full of admiration.

The exquisite carvings, smooth lines, and every detail demonstrate Master Li's superb skills.

He nodded with satisfaction and said, "Master Li, I am very satisfied! Your craftsmanship is beyond words, it is simply exquisite!"

As Zhou Yimin spoke, he noticed a hint of expectation in Master Li's eyes.

He knew in his heart that Master Li had worked so hard for so long, so his wages could not be neglected.

So he turned around and walked into the house, took out the remaining food that he had prepared long ago, and handed it to Master Li: "Master Li, this is the remaining food, do you think it is enough?"

Master Li has been dealing with Zhou Yimin for some time and knows that he is a generous and open-minded person who will never treat him unfairly in these matters.

He didn't even weigh it, and said with a smile: "Boss, look at what you said, what you gave will definitely not be less."

In fact, Master Li still felt a little reluctant.

During this period of time, he worked at Zhou Yimin's house. The food at Zhou Yimin's house was so good that he felt he had gained a lot of weight.

But now the work was done, and after the last coat of paint it was completely finished, and there was no reason for him to stay any longer. Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

As the days passed, the road construction project progressed with difficulty thanks to the joint efforts of the villagers.

It was originally estimated that it would not take so long, but the weather was not good and it often rained while the repairs were going on.

In that era of extreme material scarcity, cement was a rare and precious commodity, and the quantity was barely enough to repair those key sections of road that were low-lying and perennially flooded, not a bit more.

So every time it rains, everyone has no choice but to stop working for fear that the precious cement will be washed away by the rain.

The villagers dare not take even the slightest risk, after all, it is related to the success or failure of the entire road construction project.

And it turned out that everyone's cautious decision was correct.

After nearly three months of hard work, the road in Zhoujiazhuang was finally repaired.

The smooth and solid cement roads meander through the village like black ribbons. The villagers walk on the new roads with a sense of accomplishment and joy on their faces.

No longer need to be covered in dirt on sunny days and mud on rainy days like before, and no longer need to worry about the various dangers caused by muddy roads. The old branch secretary stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the brand new road, his eyes red with excitement.

He shouted at the top of his voice: "Fellow villagers, our road is finally repaired! Tonight, our village will hold a celebration, everyone come and join us!"

In order to make the celebration lively, the old branch secretary specially found Zhou Yimin.

He rubbed his hands and said a little embarrassedly: "Yimin, you see, we finally have a chance to celebrate, and everyone has been busy for so long, I was just wondering if we could get some meat.

Although our village security team goes hunting in the mountains from time to time, we got some results at the beginning. But now we go hunting more often and get fewer prey. We basically return empty-handed. The meat in the village has been consumed long ago. It would be too shabby if there is no meat at this celebration. Look..."

When Zhou Yimin heard this, he agreed without thinking: "Old Party Secretary, please don't be polite. How much do you want?"

When he was at the steel plant, he would find ways to get meat in order to improve the workers' meals, let alone in his own village.

The old branch secretary thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Fifty kilograms... No, let's have a hundred kilograms! It's a rare opportunity to celebrate, so let's eat to our heart's content at once."

After all, everyone has worked so hard in the past three months, and there are many people in our village. In fact, 100 kilograms is not much, and not much is distributed to each person. "

He was afraid that Zhou Yimin would think it was a bit too much, so he hurried to explain, fearing that Zhou Yimin would not agree.

Zhou Yimin nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay, old secretary, one hundred kilograms is no problem!"

After saying that, he got on his motorcycle and drove out of Zhoujiazhuang.

He went for a ride outside and, relying on his own skills, when he returned to the village, there were more than 100 kilograms of pork on the back seat of his motorcycle.

The villagers saw Zhou Yimin's motorcycle from afar, and when they saw the plump pork on the motorcycle, many of them couldn't help swallowing.

The news spread quickly in the village like wings. Everyone knew that a hundred kilograms of pork were prepared for this celebration just to make everyone happy.

The whole village was immersed in joy, and the villagers were looking forward to the celebration in the evening. You know, even during the Chinese New Year, there might not be so much meat to eat.

As the pork was carried into the village canteen, a bustling preparation began.

The chefs in the village were eager to show off their cooking skills. Some were responsible for cleaning the pork, some were responsible for cutting the meat, and some were responsible for mixing various seasonings.

After a while, the dining hall was filled with the rich aroma of meat, and the fragrance drifted to the entire Zhoujiazhuang with the breeze.

The villagers from Shuangtian Village and Shangshui Village who were working in Zhoujiazhuang saw the lively scene in Zhoujiazhuang and cast envious glances.

They knew in their hearts that this celebration belonged to Zhoujiazhuang and they had no part in it.

However, after they got off work, the old branch secretary still ordered people to add a little meat to their meals.

Although the number was small and could not be compared with that of the villagers in Zhoujiazhuang, they were very happy when they learned about it. After all, being able to taste meat was a rare thing in that era.

Soon, night fell and it was time to celebrate.

At first, Master Cao wanted to refuse, but after repeated and enthusiastic invitations from the old branch secretary and Zhou Yimin, he finally agreed.

After all, he has put a lot of effort into this journey.
A blazing bonfire was lit in the open space of the village.

The light from the bonfire illuminated the entire venue and the excited faces of the villagers.

The villagers brought tables and chairs from their homes and sat around the campfire.

In the dining hall, pots of delicious pork dishes were brought out, including braised pork, twice-cooked pork, stewed spare ribs... every dish was mouth-watering.

The old Party branch secretary stood in the middle of the venue, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Fellow villagers! Today we gather here to celebrate that the road in our village has finally been repaired! This is all thanks to everyone's concerted efforts and the help of Yimin. Everyone has worked hard in the past three months! Come, let's toast to a better future together!"

As he spoke, he raised the big bowl in his hand, which was filled with homemade rice wine.

The villagers responded one after another, raising their bowls. For a moment, cheers and clinking sounds intertwined and echoed over the village.

(End of this chapter)